Basketball press conference tidbits

Basketball press conference tidbits
By Jon Gold on November 2, 2010 2:38 PM
Inside UCLA
The Los Angeles Daily News

* I'll have tons of videos over the next few days, but here are some nuggets from today's men's basketball press conference.

* Head coach Ben Howland was non-committal about UCLA's starting point guard against Westmont in the team's exhibition opener on Thursday. Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson have battled for the spot during the preseason, and both said they don't know if they'll start. At least early on, I expect both to play major minutes.

* At the same time, Howland made it clear he doesn't expect anywhere near a 50/50 split in terms of minutes for the two.

* I asked several players if the new transition offense was just a wrinkle Howland is trying to incorporate, or if the identity is changing to more of a fast-paced game, and the consensus was that this is a new identity. I'll believe it when I see it.

* Josh Smith did say, however, that at one point during a recent practice, Howland said, "You can't take the ball out of the basket fast enough." That's surprising.

* Last season's squeaker over Concordia - a 62-61 win that needed a Mustafa Abdul-Hamid game-winning shot - is still fresh in their minds. Westmont College, also an NIAA opponent, will not be taken lightly.

* One thing of interest: You can sense the chip on their shoulders out of Tyler Honeycutt, Jerime Anderson, Reeves Nelson and Malcolm Lee, but Joshua Smith, Tyler Lamb and Lazeric Jones were also at the press conference, and they all sounded just as upset over last season's record. Team unity is simply night-and-day from last season.

* Videos with seven players and Coach Howland to follow.